It is estimated that close to 70 per cent of all Canadians and Americans take nutritional supplements regularly. In part, this is because of mounting scientific evidence supporting their use, as well as growing concerns about the quality of our food supply. Although much of our food is either genetically engineered, irradiated, chemically sprayed or otherwise adulterated, some health experts continue to hold on to the erroneous belief that diet alone can provide all our essential nutrition. It cannot.

Studies indicate that approximately half of Americans (and most likely Canadians) suffer from marginal nutritional deficiencies. Some reputable scientists estimate that at least 80% of the public is deficient in vitamin D. While it may be theoretically possible to get all of our required nutrients from diet alone, the fact is that most people in North America do not do so. Even if one consumes a carefully created and prepared diet that meets the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), scientific research now indicates that the “optimal” level of nutrients may be much higher than the currently published RDAs.

What Everyone Needs

Just about everyone needs to take at least a high quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement as “insurance” against possible deficiencies. Unfortunately, many “natural” food supplements contain an awesome list of synthetic fillers, additives which are detrimental to health. With some exceptions, pure vitamin and mineral chelates cannot be compressed directly into tablet form without the addition of binders, lubricants, diluents, disintegrators and colouring and flavouring agents. Some national brands even contain saturated hydrocarbons such as paraffin or wax, which can be deposited in the plaque of individuals suffering from coronary artery disease. People who use large numbers of vitamin and mineral tablets may actually be contributing to the diseases they are attempting to prevent.

The larger the tablet, the more it requires the use of binders such as hydrogenated oils (e.g., calcium or magnesium stearate). Time-release tablets are perhaps the most worrisome. For example, the release of 1,000 mg of vitamin C over a period of six hours may require the addition of 400 mg of hydrogenated oil to the tablet. Under the microscope, this oil looks almost identical to plastic. If you are a strict vegetarian, beware of gelatin-encapsulated supplements, which are derived from collagenous beef (bovine) or pork (porcine/swine) material.

Most healthy people will have no obvious side effects from ingesting the small amount of toxins in vitamin or mineral tablets. Over 7 per cent of people, however, are sensitive to these chemicals. Allergic reactions can affect any organ system in the body including the brain. This produces symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss, depression, anxiety, hallucinations and insomnia.

When purchasing supplements, watch out for:

•Propylene glycol – an antifreeze used in products such as windshield washer fluid, brake and hydraulic fluid. Documented to cause skin, liver and kidney damage.

•Sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate – used in shampoos for their detergent and foam-building abilities, but also added to food supplements. Studies show that these additives react with the other ingredients to form cancer-causing nitrates and dioxins.

Purchase supplements in vegetable soft gel capsules, naturally compressed tablets, powders or liquids that contain the fewest possible additives. A good multiple supplement will always tell what’s also not in their product (especially wheat, dairy, yeast, eggs and other common allergens). Always check with the manufacturer and demand full disclosure before purchasing any food supplement.

What About Whole Food Supplements?

The science of nutrition has not yet discovered the complete range of vital nutrients found only in natural foods. Live, whole food concentrates have the unique advantage of supplying the body with enzymes and cancer-preventing phytochemicals like carotenoids, indoles, isothiocyanates, isoflavones and phytosterols. These substances do not exist in any vitamin or mineral supplement. Additionally, whole foods provide vitamins, minerals, amino acids, polypeptide hormone precursors and other nutrients that support the vital life force needed by all cells for optimal health.

Examples of whole food supplements are as follows:

Spirulina

Chlorella

Blue green algae

Other green drinks or green food concentrates like barley green and green kamut

Bee pollen

Whole leaf aloe vera juice

Nutritional yeast

Garlic

Desiccated liver

Wild yam extract

Kelp, dulse and other seaweeds in powder, tablet or capsule form

Various tissue concentrates like pancreatin and raw adrenal glandular concentrate

Given our present state of knowledge, it’s very good health insurance to have one or more whole food supplements added to a daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.

A good multiple vitamin and mineral supplement cannot usually fit into a single tablet or capsule. Your supplement should contain at least the following levels of essential nutrients:

The nutritional needs of men are significantly different from those of women. This is because of hormonal, organ and metabolic differences between the two sexes.

You will notice below that the ideal men’s multi does not contain any iron. This is because, unlike women, men do not lose iron through menses every month. Men rarely, if ever, need iron in supplemental form. In fact, too much iron can be harmful in that accumulation of iron causes free radical oxidizing damage to numerous organs and is a risk factor for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Men, especially as they age, often develop enlargement of their prostate gland. Herbs such as saw palmetto can prevent the prostate from enlarging. So, look for some saw palmetto in any ideal multiple for men.

The ingredients of an ideal multi for me are listed below. Look for these ingredients at your local health food store:

Below is an ideal multi for women. Notice that it contains evening primrose oil, something that supports female hormonal balance. The men’s multi contains saw palmetto, an herb known for its ability to prevent prostate enlargement.

Product Name:Ideal Multi Caps for Women

Manufacturer:Purity, Potency and Freshness

Capsules per Serving:3 Veggie Capsules per day

IngredientsLABEL CLAIM (per day)LABEL CLAIM (per cap)

(mg or as noted)

Vitamin A Palmitate, 250,000IU/g5000IU1666.7 IU

Beta Carotene 20%3000mcg / 5000IU1666.7 IU

Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol), 100,000IU/g25mcg / 1000IU333.3 IU

Vitamin E (d-Alpha Tocopherol acetate), 50%45mg AT / 100IU33.3 IU

Calcium ascorbate, 77% Vitamin C120mg40.0

Thiamin HCl, 78% Vitamin B125mg8.3

Riboflavin, 98% Vitamin B225mg8.3

Niacinamide, 99% Vitamin B325mg8.3

Pyridoxine HCl, 80% Vitamin B650mg16.7

Cyanocobalamin, 1% Vitamin B12100mcg33.3 mcg

Biotin 1%150mcg50.0 mcg

Folic Acid 10%1000mcg333.3mcg

D-Calcium Pantothenate, 90% Pantothenic acid50mg16.7

Choline Bitartrate, 97%50mg16.7

Inositol, 98%50mg16.7

Calcium from:150mg50.0

Calcium citrate tetrahydrate, 20.5% Calcium

Calcium carbonate, 40% Calcium

Magnesium from:75mg25.0

Magnesium citrate hydrate, 11.2% Magnesium

Magnesium oxide heavy, 60% Magnesium

Potassium citrate, 38% Potassium15mg5.0

Zinc citrate dihydrate, 31% Zinc10mg3.3

Copper citrate hemitrihydrate, 36% Copper1mg0.33

Manganese Citrate, 28% Manganese2mg0.67

Potassium Iodide, 76% Iodine50mcg16.7 mcg

Chromium HVP Chelate, 10% Chromium200mcg66.7 mcg

Selenium HVP Chelate, 2% Selenium100mcg33.3 mcg

Molybdenum citrate, 1% Molybdenum25mcg8.3 mcg

Silica (silicon dioxide), 46% Silicon5mg1.7

Boron citrate, 5% Boron700mcg233.3 mcg

Vanadium citrate, 1% Vanadium50mcg16.7 mcg

Milk Thistle, 80% Silymarin30mg10

Cranberry Concentrate powder10mg3.3

Green Tea Extract, 95% Polyphenols10mg3.3

CoQ1010mg3.3

Grape Seed Extract, 95% Polyphenols20mg6.7

Betaine Hydrochloride12.5mg4.2

PABA12.5mg4.2

Citrus Bioflavonoids, 27% Bioflavonoids30mg10

Quercetin30mg10

Rutin10mg3.3

Billberry extract, PE 120:110mg3.3

Rhodiola rosea PE, 3% Rosavins30mg10

Papain 48,000, 42000IU/mg3.5mg1.17

Lutein 5%200mcg66.7 mcg

Turmeric, 95%30mg10

Reishi mushroom extract, PE 8:120mg6.67

Shiitake mushroom extract, PE 10:112mg4.0

Maitake mushroom extract10mg3.3

Rosemary leaf extract10mg3.3

Evening Primrose oil powder150mg50.0

Highest Quality Supplements

According to recent reports in the Toronto Star and other lay media, many national brand nutritional supplements and herbal remedies available from health food stores and pharmacies contain little to no active ingredients. The only reliable manufacturing practice to guarantee that what’s on the label is actually in the bottle is called HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography).

High quality supplement manufacturers use HPLC and keep the chemicals, lactose and other additives out of their products to prevent potential allergic reactions. These hypoallergenic supplements are also better absorbed. This is especially important in people over age 60, when stomach acidity and digestive juices are produced at lower levels.

Finally, a high quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement should be free of potential toxins such as lead, mercury, cadmium and aluminum. The manufacturer should be able to supply toxicology reports proving the purity of the supplement.

The Pros and Cons of MLM Supplements

Multi-level marketing (MLM) companies sell their products through individual distributors, who either resell at retail prices to the general public or at wholesale prices to their “down line” of distributors, who have “signed up.” The layers of salespeople run from six levels to hundreds deep, depending on the company. Commissions are made from the sales of distributors occupying positions below/under each salesperson. The higher up you are on this money food chain, the greater the financial rewards. While technically, this is not pyramiding sales, it’s close enough to the shady practice to be of some concern.

Studies done on the MLM biz indicate that the lion’s share of the cash filters up to the top 5 per cent of company executives. Over 80 per cent of the signed-up salespeople abandon the company, usually because of lower-than-expected incomes for the amount of time spent working.

On the positive side, MLM companies market some of the highest quality nutritional supplements available. Thousands, if not millions, of testimonials on product quality attest to this, as well as the spectacular growth of the MLM industry in general. Satisfied customers are the rule.

One major problem with MLM company products is the price. As you can imagine, the need to provide sales commissions to multiple levels of salespeople drives up the cost of products. It’s not unusual to see an herbal remedy selling for five times the price of an equivalent product sold at health food stores or over the Internet.

Another disturbing point with some MLM products is their failure to disclose the dosages of various herbs or active ingredients on the label. When questioned as to why any company would not want to say, for example, “saw palmetto - 25 mgs” on its label, the usual response is that the company’s formulas are a “trade secret.” This may be fine for perfumes and cosmetics. However, people interested in health enhancement really do need to know the levels of various ingredients they consume from tablets or capsules. Use MLM products at your own risk.

Hype, Fraud and False Hope Supplements

Critics of nutritional supplements often say, “If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not true.” The hype, false hope and outright fraud seen in the supplement industry are something I have had the occasion to study for over 33 years. Here are some key things to watch out for:

Be very careful if you use Chinese herbs, especially those coming in tiny pellets with hokey labels (“Arthritis Pills”) or with vague descriptions of the ingredients and amounts of each herb in the tablet. Many of these products imported from Hong Kong are contaminated with lead, mercury, other toxic heavy metals, steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. “Natural” is not always necessarily “safe.” As with all chemicals, nutrients and plant extracts taken in high enough doses and for long enough periods can be toxic.

Avoid colloidal minerals. Marketers of colloidal minerals have generated a great deal of hype. They insist their products are the easiest to absorb and that other forms of mineral supplements are just a waste of money. Unfortunately, there is not a shred of evidence to support their claim.

Colloidal minerals sold in liquid form contain between 1,800 and 4,400 ppm of aluminum, a recognized toxic heavy metal. By contrast, food rarely contains even 10 ppm. Whether or not the high aluminum content of colloidal minerals leads to Alzheimer’s disease or other neurological disorders is unknown.

Do not buy any supplement containing “coral” calcium. Studies show that this form of calcium contains lead and other toxic heavy metals.

If you’re deficient in a mineral, your body will absorb a higher level of that mineral from any source including food, colloidal minerals, ionic mineral solutions or amino acid chelated minerals. The best example of this occurs during pregnancy, when just about any source of iron or calcium is absorbed in higher amounts than usual. This is because of normal homeostatic mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract and elsewhere, which are aimed at maintaining an optimal blood level of the mineral in question.

The human body is capable of extracting minerals from virtually any source. Many studies show that it matters not whether a mineral is “organic,” inorganic, chelated with amino acids, malate, picolinate, fumarate, ascorbate, etc. When consumed as a food or beverage, the absorption rate for minerals is the same given the condition and mineral levels of the individual before consuming that food or beverage.

Colloidal minerals are, at best, a good supplement for some people who have difficulty swallowing pills. Beyond this, there is no proof they offer any advantages over other mineral sources.

My Best Advice on Supplements

In the future, you will no doubt be approached to buy various natural health products to treat an ailment, feel better, look better, boost energy or reverse aging. How can you tell whether or not the product is legitimate? The best way to answer this is to consult a well-researched and documented reference text that contains reliable information and is not obviously attempting to sell you something.

The worst place to look for such information is in a health magazine. Most are designed to sell supplements and will rarely give the reader unbiased information. The following is a list of the best factual references on nutritional and herbal supplements. If you cannot find information on a particular product, consult a naturopath or holistic medical doctor for advice.

Dr. Zoltan P. Rona practices Complementary Medicine in Toronto and is the medical editor of “The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing.” He has also published several Canadian best-selling books, including “Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin.”